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Part 11, Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Buddenbrooks, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family and Sacrifice
Tradition, Modernity, and Change
The Protestant Ethic
Personal Fulfillment and Self-Knowledge
Pretense and Etiquette
Summary
Analysis
On Monday morning, Hanno awakes to the jarring sound of his alarm clock. He recently finished a course of intensive dental procedures, and Gerda got tickets for a performance of Lohengrin the night before to celebrate. Now Hanno has to return to reality and tend to his schoolwork, which he put off last night—and he’s not happy about it. He shivers with cold and procrastinates getting out of bed. At last, he rouses himself, throws his books in his satchel, and dresses himself. In the dining room, Fräulein Clementine, his mother’s new maid, urges him to hurry or he’ll be late. Hanno lifts a mug to his lips to swig some cocoa, but the liquid sends a searing pain up the tooth that Brecht has been working on, and Hanno leaves without eating.
Thomas’s death has not served as a wakeup call to Hanno to get more serious about his life. He remains as unmotivated and self-indulgent as ever before, distracting himself with entertainment and slacking at his schoolwork. Meanwhile, his shivering as he wakes in the morning points toward his weak constitution. He was born a sickly baby and remains fragile and uncomfortable as a young man. Though Hanno is not to blame for his poor health, nor does his fragility diminish his underlying worth as a human, in the novel it symbolically points toward his spiritual emptiness and his lacking convictions. He is a sad and empty vessel that can only distract himself with pleasurable experiences, whether a night at the opera or a cup of cocoa.
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Hanno arrives to school late, but he manages to slip inside the building. It’s too late to make it to homeroom, so he heads straight to his first class, which is empty. Kai sneaks up behind Hanno and playfully scolds Hanno for his lateness. Hanno explains that he was at the opera last night and feels hungover. He admits that he hasn’t finished any of his homework and isn’t prepared. Kai is relieved to hear this—he hasn’t done any of the work either.
Amid Hanno’s lacking performance as a student, his general lack of direction, and his rather sad and lonely homelife, Hanno’s friendship with Kai is the sole bright spot in his life. They confide in each other honestly about their shortcomings, which gives at least Kai some comfort and reassurance.
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Then the bell rings, and the other students begin to file into the classroom. The teacher, Herr Ballerstedt, enters and begins the day’s instruction. They’re discussing the Book of Job today. Ballerstedt humiliates a few underprepared students, and then he instructs the class to read independently. Kai reads Edgar Allan Poe instead of the Bible. Hanno tries to read but is too distracted.
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At recess later, Hanno and Kai stand apart from their noisy, raucous peers. The school—students and teachers alike—“ha[s] known about their friendship for years,” but everyone “tolerate[s] it […] because they suspect[] something foul and hostile behind it.”
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In a later class, Kai whispers a joke in Hanno’s ear. Hanno laughs involuntarily, and the teacher, Herr Modersohn, gives Hanno a demerit as punishment. Hanno thinks that Herr Modersohn takes advantage of Hanno’s gentleness in order to humiliate Hanno. Herr Modersohn, is a rather disorganized, unintimidating, and possibly senile old man, and the class frequently plays pranks on him. In class today, someone throws peas at the window and tells Modersohn it’s hailing outside; Modersohn seems to believe it.
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At recess later, Kai and Hanno stroll through the courtyard toward the gate. Kai mischievously suggests they just leave for the day, but Hanno insists he must stay. His guardians are constantly bugging him about what he wants to be when he grows up, and he has no idea. Kai suggests Hanno pursue his music, but Hanno says that won’t work: Kistenmaker won’t let him, and besides, Hanno is a mediocre musician at best. Hanno tells Kai that he isn’t like Kai: he’s not fearless and easygoing. He’s not happy. For Hanno, everything is scary and exhausting.
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Hanno admits that in a recent confirmation class, Pastor Pringsheim suggested he just give up on Hanno—that Hanno belongs to “a degenerate family.” This piques Kai’s attention, and he asks Hanno to elaborate. Hanno explains that Pringsheim was talking about Hanno’s uncle Christian, who is presently institutionalized. Then Hanno admits that he doesn’t necessarily disagree with Pringsheim: he knows he’s weak and frail and won’t amount to anything. His teeth are all rotting, and he feels overall hopeless.
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Kai encourages his friend to cheer up. He asks if Hanno plans to play piano later today. Hanno says yes—he’ll probably improvise, though he knows he should focus on his etudes instead. He can’t help but improvise—“even though it makes everything worse.” Kai tells Hanno, “I know what you’re thinking about when you improvise.” Then both boys turn red. They return to school and slog through the rest of their classes.
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After school, Hanno heads home and eats the lunch Fräulein Clementine left for him in his room. Then he practices harmonium. At four o’clock, he eats dinner with Fräulein Clementine and Gerda. Later, he and Gerda try to play a duet together, but Gerda isn’t happy with her playing and ends the session early. Alone at the piano, Hanno begins to improvise. He begins with a simple melody, but his playing grows more complex and full of violent emotion as it develops.
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Hanno finishes playing and sits silently at the piano before closing the keyboard and moving to the next room, where he sits in stillness and in silence. After supper, he goes to sleep without doing his homework. He vows to finish his homework in the morning, though that never happens.
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